Chaplains in Australian Schools

[David B]

Apparently their presence is going to be challenged in the courts,

A chance for our OZ contingent to make their feelings known by writing to the press and politicians, and by voting in the already Pharyngulised poll in the link.

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2010/10/28/Dad-fights-state-school-chaplaincy-program/

David

[Rie]

At the school where my grandson goes there is a quasi religious type of person who helps kids in trouble with 'stuff'. i'm against it and would vote against it. to my grandson's creditand to the credit of us... his grandmother and two Aunts.. he has picked up a healthy cynicism about the importance of this person. To him , she's just another person who doesn't really understand his current dilemma which is the fact that his teacher terrifies him. She is just out of a 'broken' marriage and is a bit sharpish of approach to sensitive kids. We take the approach of crossing off the days he has to endure her till the end of this year.

[Kid Charlemagne]

Funding Chaplains in hospitals is one thing, putting them in schools is a bit worse IMO.

[Silly Sausage]

Its an interesting article. I don't agree with having religious figures in state schools, because I just don't believe that they would be able to give advice or help without making it about god. I certainly don't think that there should be funding available to keep the chaplains there.
I do believe in religious education though; every child should be educated about the various different religions in the world and should also be taught about secularism, humanism etc too but they should be taught in a non-bias way. They should not be taught to favour any of those things and should be left to make their own choice (although parents will probably influence their kids one way or another anyway)